


Artist

by veLOLciraptor



Series: Back in the Black [1]
Category: Firefly, Serenity
Genre: M/M, Serenity RPG System
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-13
Updated: 2012-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-29 11:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/319424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/veLOLciraptor/pseuds/veLOLciraptor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Any one can annoy someone, but the way Larem conducted himself was something else entirely.</p><p>A post-campaign story about the (mis)adventures of Larem and Jack in their new-found life. Original characters in the Firefly/Serenity universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artist

**Author's Note:**

> Larem and Jack were characters a friend and I played in a Serenity RPG campaign. When the campaign ended, we both found ourselves far too attached to our respective characters to let them be. These drabbles are out-of-order, non-chronological looks at what we've imagined for their lives post campaign canon. Apologies if things seem confusing unexplained, although I don't know how many people are going to even read stories completely about original characters.

Aggravating Jack wasn't the most difficult thing in the world. In fact, most people on the ship rubbed each other's nerves the wrong way from time to time: something bound to happen when so many different people were crammed in close vicinity for long periods of time. But the way that Larem went about turning Jack's face bright red in fury was a well-practiced and distinctly premeditated art.

So when Larem asked to wear his old jacket back from the war, Viktor knew it was because he wanted to annoy Jack. What he didn't know was how quickly he'd become an accessory in this particular battle of their on-going little war.

He had to admit, the sight of the him with that worn leather jacket wrapped around his slim shoulders while he poured over hacked alliance bank records and the way Larem had begun to smell faintly more like him presented a rather pleasing image. And really, how annoyed could she be that Larem occasionally wore his jacket? It wasn't that sickeningly sweet. It couldn't shave too much off of his sense of machismo.

Several days later he found Larem curled up in his chair on the bridge, his hands still clutching the paperwork he'd evidently been reading when he'd dozed off. Viktor couldn't help that his eyes were drawn to his pale neckline, the collar of his shirt hanging so loose that he could even see the shimmering silver of the injection scars. Larem was shivering slightly in his sleep.

A few minutes later Viktor returned to the bridge with his jacket and draped it carefully around Larem. It wasn't often that he slept, much less slept so peacefully. Maybe he'd been pushing him too hard.

Larem's singular, bright emerald eye flickered open. His voice was heavy with receeding slumber.  
“I must have dozed off... My apologies, I should get back to these files.”

It wasn't even until he heard the gagging noises from behind him that he realized how soft the look on his face must have been.

“That was the most disgusting thing I've seen all day, and I passed by Nadjek cleaning the disposal an hour ago. I'm going back to my room.” Jack made when final retching noise before she slamming the door to the bridge on her way out.

Larem watched her. The smirk on his face told the entire story.

Viktor had seen Larem manipulate all sorts of people. Hell, it was a damn useful skill in this line of work. He'd watch Larem play backwater farm hands, military veterans and alliance officials. But he'd never thought he'd stumble so obliviously onto Larem's chessboard. If he wasn't so fond of the way Larem's face looked he'd be hard pressed to stop himself from wiping that smirk of his face with his fist.

“I should have known that you would never fall asleep like that.”

“While in the middle of reading all of this delicious stolen intelligence? Someone has to keep this operation running.”

But even as he spoke he was shuffling the papers back into an orderly stack and sliding them back into their folders.

“But privacy like this is a rare commodity. It would be a shame not to make use of it.”

Now that smile... Viktor knew exactly what that smile meant. And he was more than happy to oblige.

...

One of these day’s he’d stop listening to Larem, no matter how pretty his face was.

Jack threw open the door to the bridge not ten minutes later because someone had messed with the electronic locking system on her door and ended up screaming, hiding her eyes behind her hands and turning a brilliant shade of red. However infuriating Larem was, he was indeed an artist.


End file.
